Tag Archives: unique hotels

This modular hotel concept merges environmentalism with escapism, making it the ideal retreat for 2021!

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Koto Design, a team of architects and designers known for constructing Scandinavian-inspired modular homes and small buildings, has recently teamed up with Aylott + Van Tromp, an experience-driven design and strategy team, to deliver Hytte, a new modular hotel concept. The collaboration was one born of the times. With the onset of COVID-19 came socially distancing regulations, which put a damper on a lot of our travel plans. However, the regulations have also brought us closer to a collective quest for community and a renewed sense of environmentalism. Noticing this, Koto Design and Aylott + Van Tromp conceptualized Hytte.

Similar in appearance to Koto Design’s existing geometric cabins, Hytte is a modular concept that delivers clusters of cabin units to landowners, developers, and operators who hope to provide an escapist experience to guests looking for a retreat or holiday. The makers at Koto Design and Aylott + Van Tromp design and build everything from the ebony black exterior to the cabin’s refined interiors. Merging with the natural surroundings, the cabins capture a minimalist Nordic design, with a soothing balance of natural wood and marbled stone interiors. Inside the units, guests will find a single room with a wood stove fireplace, a sunken bed that merges with a nearby window bench and storage area, a separate bathroom, and finally, a cathedral skylight that brings guests even closer to the outdoors.

Each concept is based around a single cabin unit, which can increase to a cluster of multiple modular units, reinforcing the comfort of a community that socially distanced regulations have curbed by means of hotel shutdowns and resort modifications. In constructing the modular concept of Hytte, Koto Design and Aylott + Van Tromp hope to reinstill a sense of community for those looking for a retreat and to present it in settings that encourage guests to reflect on the relationship between travelers and their environment.

Designers: Koto Design x Aylott + Van Tromp

Hytte cabins merge with the surrounding outdoors no matter where they’re placed.

Reinforcing a traditional sense of community, Hytte can accommodate clusters of cabins.

“Hytte redefines prefabricated, modular hotels and retreats dedicated to creating space for escapism.”

Ebony-stained wooden panes line the exterior of each cabin unit.

Come night, each cabin blends into the darkness, emanating only the light that comes from indoors.

Each bathroom in Hytte’s cabins comes equipped with storage areas, a shower, and a wash basin.

Hytte’s cabins include a king-sized sunken bed that merges with the unit’s glass windows.

“They are fully constructed & fitted out and furnished within the factory and will arrive on site ready to be used.”

Concrete drainage pipes turned into a pub is the perfect mix of architectural brutalism + modern design!

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I love architecture that repurposes material and breathes new life into them. While shipping containers are the most popular for that style of work, Australian group Techné Architects are applying that creativity to drainage pipes! Prahran Hotel’s pub in Melbourne was renovated this year from a small back area into a playful and innovative hangout spot using more than 40 tons of concrete tubes to create the cool extended façade.

Techné Architects envisioned a space that was visually connected, interactive and dramatic – something we all could use to get over the pandemic and resume our social lives. The structure uses 17 1/2 culvert pipes on the facade and inside as well which are turned into intimate booths – in fact, one special pipe serves as a VIP booth for 10 people! The booths are finished with soft leather upholstery and lined with recycled spotted gum slats and acoustic absorption mats. The main bar is crafted from salvaged pipes and concrete cast lamps. Techné’s inclusion of sustainable elements don’t end there, they also used recycled pipes to create a colorful bar and planted a Chinese elm in the open, tiled courtyard to stay aligned with the original goal of making sure that the space is visually connected. “Inside you are climbing over the pipes, sitting in them, or on them at various levels. They have a lasting impact on the space,” says Architect Justin Northrop.

For a passerby, the stacked pipes will look like a wall of kegs (fitting given that it is a pub) and are closed with glass windows which allow for plenty of natural light and views. Guests can play around and find their favorite spot anywhere in the three levels of the hotel, there are several carefully designed cozy nooks and group seating options. You can also sit outdoors in the courtyard and admire the corrugated concrete wall, porthole windows, and beautiful wall hangings by Ayus Botanical. The daylight from the courtyard and from the large circular pipe windows fill up every corner and make it a welcoming space, unlike the typical dingy, dark pub. Crawling into a pipe never sounded better!

Designer: Techné Architects

This 100% electric pod inspired by James Bond is the worlds first floating eco-hotel suite!

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Half the year is over and we haven’t been able to catch a break. To keep my hopes up, I continue to make a travel bucket list, and right now all I want to do is go off-the-grid regardless of the place. And there is nothing more perfect for that than Anthénea which is the world’s first autonomous and eco-friendly floating suite equipped with high-end facilities. This modern pod will literally wash all those worries away and you can continue being an eco-conscious traveler!

Anthénea is a UFO-shaped water suite made in France by veteran designers, engineers, and naval architects, whose vision was to create a nomadic vessel for eco-conscious tourists. It was a project born from the dreams of Jean-Michel Ducancelle, a naval architect, who was inspired by James Bond’s floating pod in ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ (1977). The 50 sqm pod has three living spaces – a living area, a sleeping zone, and a lounge area that features a 360° solarium on its roof for 12 people. All interior elements are entirely made from sustainable materials. Anthénea adapts to a wide temperature range (-30°C to +40°C) and its stabilizing ballasting keeps the seasickness at bay! Coastlines are often overburdened with tourism and Anthénea offers an ecological way to lighten that load while promoting sustainable travel which is our ultimate future.

The design has been decided upon after extensive study so that it can resist cataclysms and the rise of oceans. Its spherical shape is based on the principle of surface tension observed in nature. This is the optimal form of resistance to extreme conditions on the water. “By its shape and lift on water technology, the peripheral crown enhances the stability of the pod,” adds the team. It is equipped with silent electric motors that can keep it afloat indefinitely thanks to five south-facing solar panels and two electric propulsion pods. “Anthénea only uses solar power. An energy sensor dome meets the electrical and hot water needs. The home is equipped with certified black and gray water stations. She produces what she consumes and releases clean water only,” says the team. The domed shape helps optimize the sun’s rays for solar power and blend seamlessly into the environment. The central well serves as an undersea observatory and natural air conditioning system – design details like this about the structure makes Anthénea self-sustaining.

The most aesthetic part aside from the submarine-like views is the solarium with a motorized reclinable sunshade roof that enables it to automatically switch in the wind direction and facilitate natural ventilation of the living areas. All equipment and design choices are inspired by natural elements. Guests can upgrade their suites to include a desalination system and wood-burning stove that can be installed anywhere with zero environmental impact. Anthénea is a new kind of tourism, but also a new way of life in the face of many environmental challenges.

Designer: Jean-Michel Ducancelle of Anthénea

   

This winter hotel is built to blend in with the slopes

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There is something so serene about a snowy landscape…when you don’t have to shovel it! When you wake up and look out the window to see everything blanketed in a white sheet of fluff, it brings a sense of calm and stillness. Snow to me is a state of zen and that is why I am forever swooning over hotels like this one that gives us a glimpse of what a vacation to Narnia would be like – and trust me, I would probably inquire about moving there permanently. This particular hotel almost reminds me of the bunny slope aka level 1 ski slope which really makes it stand out as a winter hotel while naturally blending in its surroundings.

Hotels like this usually do better in one season, so their form is more unconventional to make the stay as unique as possible given the niche audience it serves. The gently sloping roofs make it one with the mountains and the top-to-bottom glass windows bring the natural beauty in. An architectural build like this stands out without having too many elements – simple additions like the windows eliminate the need to brighten or add too much decor inside because the surrounding doubles up as the aesthetic. Come to think of it, this hotel’s form has made most of its environment and actually let it lead the interior instead of dictating the design.

High-altitude tourism is slowly but surely climbing up the hill of popular yet offbeat travel destinations. It allows time away from the noisy tourist spots and lets you have me-time either all cozied up in the hotel or skiing down the hill. Most hotels that are nestled in winter wonderlands have developed themselves as mini-ecosystems to sustain the establishment despite the weather, so there will be something to do for every type of traveler – unless of course, you are someone who would rather be laying on the beach. But even if you are a summer lover, just hanging out in a hot tub or a jacuzzi overlooking untouched snowy landscapes is bound to clear your mind and relax you.

One thing I am certain about is that no matter what your preferred travel destination or favorite season is, experiencing snowfall and drinking hot cocoa in an uncrowded space is a vacation for your soul.

Designers: Davit Jilavyan and Mary Jilavyan